A longstanding problem with paint brushes that are used for industrial and domestic painting applications is that with time and repeated use paint tends to build up within the bristles in the region where the bristles are held by the clamp that joins the bristles with the paint brush handle and base. The collected paint is difficult to clean away. Usually, some residual paint is left in the bristles even after the used brush has been cleaned. The dried paint collects and builds up over time with repeated use of the paint brush. This causes the bristles of the brush to spread and reduces the efficiency of the brush. Also, the dried paint build up tends to cause the bristles to wear and break at the location of the dried paint. This reduces the life of the paint brush.
Proper cleaning of a paint brush requires a considerable amount of solvent, if the person cleaning the brush is meticulous. This often represents a waste of costly solvent, and creates an environmental pollutant. Thus, most commercial painters will endeavour to minimize costs by balancing the amount of the solvent used with the number of times the paint brush is used. It may be economic, for instance, to expect a paint brush to be used a half-dozen times before it must be discarded, rather than waste a considerable amount of solvent attempting to meticulously clean the brush after each use and prolong the life of the brush.
It would be advantageous if some means could be developed which would minimize or eliminate the build up of paint in the location where the bristles are set or meet the paint brush handle. It would also be advantageous if a mechanism could be developed to reduce the amount of solvent which is required to clean a paint brush. It would also be useful if a mechanism could be developed which would reduce or eliminate bristle flare as it occurs over time when a paint brush is used a number of times.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,918, granted Dec. 19, 1978, to Robert Lee, disclosed an adjustable sleeve for an artist's paint brush adapted to adjust the effective length of the bristles of the brush. The adjustable sleeve is tubular at its tip to contain the hair or bristles. The sleeve is split above the tip to provide a spring biased grip upon the brush ferrule. The adjustable sleeve is tapered in substantial conformity with the taper of the ferrule and it is longitudinally adjustable relative to the ferrule to vary the effective length of the hair or bristles. The sleeve is designed for use with an artist's brush, which has bristles arranged in a taper column form. The sleeve does not fit over the base of the brush at the location where the bristles meet the base.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,579, issued Dec. 9, 1980, to Johnathan H. Salmon, discloses a tool for applying a liquid stain to a flat surface to impart a timber grain effect to the surface. The tool comprises a paint brush, a bristle retaining slidable plate on one side of the brush and a slidable comb plate on the other side of the brush. Both of the plates have an elongated slot which engages a bolt which passes through the paint brush. The comb adjustably separates the brush bristles into discrete bunches to permit the application of stain to impart a wood grain pattern to the surface. This tool does not disclose a holder which fits on both sides of the paint brush base where the bristles are secured to the base. The tool is not designed to prevent paint from migrating down the bristles in the direction of the base.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,837, granted Jul. 20, 1982, to Christiaan Reeberg, discloses a sliding box-like girdle which can be fit over a paint brush to confine the bristles. The girdle acts as a hanger so that the paint brush can be hung on a wall. The girdle also protects the brush bristles while on display, or during storage. Further, the girdle is used to control the effective length of the bristle ends for specific painting jobs. The girdle also serves to squeeze excess paint from the bristles after each dip into a can of paint. The girdle does not serve to encircle the base of the paint brush, where the bristles meet the paint base, and thereby prevent paint from migrating along the bristles to the base, and thereby collecting at the base-bristle ended face.